Fiscal Facts

The extent to which Milwaukee relies on tax increment financing to fund its streetcar, The Hop, sets it apart from streetcar systems in other cities.

The tepid pace of new construction in Wisconsin trails recent increases in property values and raises questions about using it as the sole factor to limit local property tax increases.

Property values in Wisconsin rose last year by the fastest rate since before the Great Recession, offering a welcome reminder of the economic recovery.

Wisconsin had the 11th-most local governments of any state in 2017, due in part to a tenfold increase in the last five decades in special districts that manage lakes, sewers, and sanitation.

Wisconsin’s latest surge in spending on building projects — more than $1.9 billion over the two-year budget — follows four years in which funding was curtailed for the state’s vast portfolio of facilities.

Life expectancy in Wisconsin has declined slightly for the second straight year amid rising death rates from suicide, alcohol, and opioid drugs — especially in Milwaukee County.

The 2019 Municipal DataTool is the new way to compare public finances and demographics for all 601 of the state’s cities and villages.

For increasing numbers of low-income families, Wisconsin’s child care subsidy program falls short of providing affordable care.

With e-cigarette use soaring, especially among teens, Wisconsin is joining the fast-growing ranks of states that target them for taxation.

Republican lawmakers dialed back both the spending and tax increases in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ budget, but left one key aspect largely unchanged: a drawdown of hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves in the state’s main fund.